Report: Steelers DT Cameron Heyward to skip OTAs amid contract issue

Pittsburgh Steelers standout defensive lineman Cameron Heyward is not at voluntary workouts and is planning to skip organized team activities during the offseason as he eyes a contract extension, ESPN reported Wednesday.

Heyward, entering the final year of his current contract (four years, $65.6 million), is a three-time All-Pro and the 2023 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year. He has played in 194 career games (159 starts) across 13 seasons with Pittsburgh, recording 647 tackles and 80.5 sacks.

Heyward, who turned 35 on May 6, played only 11 games last season because of a Week 1 groin injury but is "healthy again," according to the report. Heyward finished with 33 tackles and two sacks during the 2023 campaign.

The No. 31 overall selection by the Steelers in the 2011 draft, Heyward has been named to six Pro Bowls.

Pittsburgh's season ended with a wild-card-round loss to the Buffalo Bills. At that time, Heyward revealed his plan to continue playing.

"I've just got to get healthy first," he told reporters in January. "We talk about coming back from injury, I was told at the time it was a 12-week process, and we came back in six weeks."